Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Book Review: The Familiars - The Familiar Series

Running fast to save his life, Aldwyn ducks into an unusual pet store. Moments later Jack, a young wizard in training, comes in to choose a magical animal to be his familiar. Aldwyn's always been clever. But magical? Jack thinks so—and Aldwyn is happy to play along.

He just has to convince the other familiars—the know-it-all blue jay Skylar and the friendly tree frog Gilbert—that he's the powerful cat he claims to be.

Then the unthinkable happens. Jack and two other young wizards are captured by the evil queen of Vastia.

On a thrilling quest to save their loyals, the familiars face dangerous foes, unearth a shocking centuries-old secret, and discover a destiny that will change Vastia forever. Their magical adventure—an irresistible blend of real heart, edge-of-your-seat action, and laugh-out-loud humor—is an unforgettable celebration of fantasy and friendship.

My Review

I have read "The Familiars" two times in the last three months, I LOVE it! This is the perfect book for teens to write an essay on, because they can't just guess the ending. It's so unexpected. It is 372 pages long. The authors are Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson.

An alley cat has never known anything about his parents or how he got the chunk of ear missing, all he knows is that he has to survive by pillaging food when he can. What he doesn't know is the most feared bounty hunter is in town searching for him. When he comes across a shop, while running from the bounty hunter, he sneaks inside and hides in an empty cage. Soon after he gets adopted by an older man and his pupil as a familiar. Strange things happen while he is with his new best friend, Jack, things like trees that strangle you, eyeballs swimming in the water, and magic dust that brings the dead back to life. While there, they come across Queen Loranella in a state of mind that made her evil. The familiars' loyal's lives are in danger when they are captured. The familiars have to travel to many lands for help. Who will they meet? What will it take to save their loyals?﻿

It was a bit slow in the beginning, but got more interesting as you got through the book. I love when authors use personification in their books. That technique never gets old. Who ever thought that a blue jay could create illusions, or a frog that can tell the past, present, or future. And the coolest one to me is a cat that can telekinetically move stuff with it's mind.

I decided to check out the official website; and it was kind of cool. You can take a test to determine what familiar you will get. I got a raven, with one touch of the wings a wound would be healed!!!